A cross-national study of school students' perceptions of political messages in two national election campaigns

Ian Rivers, Daniel J. Carragher, Jimmy Couzens, Rachel C. Hechler, Gia Fini

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand, qualitatively, the ways in which school students from England and the US engaged with campaign messages during two national elections. We combined data from eight focus groups conducted in four schools in England (2 primary/elementary and 2 secondary/high; N = 60) and individual interviews conducted in one school in the US (N=19). Three common themes were identified from our cross-national data: the trustworthiness of candidates, equality, and the narrative surrounding immigration. We argue that it is important for students to have spaces to understand, explore and debate political messages and for teachers to feel confident and able to engage with those campaign messages especially where they may be controversial, partisan or challenging.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10-19
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Journal of Educational Research
Volume92
Issue numberDecember
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 2018

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election campaign
Students
England
campaign
school
student
trustworthiness
Emigration and Immigration
Focus Groups
equality
immigration
candidacy
election
Interviews
narrative
teacher
interview
Group

Keywords

  • elections
  • schools
  • student politics
  • political messages
  • teachers
  • England
  • US

Cite this

Rivers, Ian ; Carragher, Daniel J. ; Couzens, Jimmy ; Hechler, Rachel C. ; Fini, Gia. / A cross-national study of school students' perceptions of political messages in two national election campaigns. In: International Journal of Educational Research. 2018 ; Vol. 92, No. December. pp. 10-19.
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Rivers, I, Carragher, DJ, Couzens, J, Hechler, RC & Fini, G 2018, 'A cross-national study of school students' perceptions of political messages in two national election campaigns', International Journal of Educational Research, vol. 92, no. December, pp. 10-19.

A cross-national study of school students' perceptions of political messages in two national election campaigns. / Rivers, Ian; Carragher, Daniel J. ; Couzens, Jimmy; Hechler, Rachel C.; Fini, Gia.

In: International Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 92, No. December, 30.11.2018, p. 10-19.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

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AB - The aim of this study is to understand, qualitatively, the ways in which school students from England and the US engaged with campaign messages during two national elections. We combined data from eight focus groups conducted in four schools in England (2 primary/elementary and 2 secondary/high; N = 60) and individual interviews conducted in one school in the US (N=19). Three common themes were identified from our cross-national data: the trustworthiness of candidates, equality, and the narrative surrounding immigration. We argue that it is important for students to have spaces to understand, explore and debate political messages and for teachers to feel confident and able to engage with those campaign messages especially where they may be controversial, partisan or challenging.

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Rivers I, Carragher DJ, Couzens J, Hechler RC, Fini G. A cross-national study of school students' perceptions of political messages in two national election campaigns. International Journal of Educational Research. 2018 Nov 30;92(December):10-19.

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